Gravity Falls: The Zodiacs
by Allenfairytail
Summary: Dipper and Mabel have found many mysteries around Gravity Falls, but they stumbled upon the biggest mystery yet, one that could put the entire town in danger. NO PINECEST!
1. Episode 1: A New Neighbor

**A/N: Hey everyone! This is Allenfairytail here bringing you guys a Gravity Falls story. Now since this is my first time writing a Gravity Falls Fanfic, please go a bit easy on me. Now, everyone in the Main Cast such as Wendy, Soos Stan will appear and of course Dipper and Mabel will appear in every chapter possible. This story will contain no Pinecest at all, but romance will appear on occasions in certain parts of the story. What would the parings be? You have to wait and find out!**

**Disclaimer****: I do not own Gravity Falls in anyway. Just the plot and the OC's.**

**Summary: Dipper and Mabel have found many mysteries around Gravity Falls, but they stumbled upon the biggest mystery yet, one that could put the entire town in danger.**

* * *

**The Zodiacs**

A Gravity Falls Story

By Allenfairytail

Season 1: Water War

Episode 1: A New Neighbor

Gravity Falls, Oregon, a small town where the strange and the supernatural occur, but even its residents don't take notice of the unusual activities occurring from time to time. All except for a selective few. But little do they realize that they'll encounter another secret within this sleepy town, one that nobody, not even themselves, could possibly have ever imagined.

* * *

On a cheerful July morning, where the sun rose and shined brightly on Gravity Falls, The Mystery Shack was opened for business and just like any other day, it was filled with many ignorant tourists, all thanks to a master con-artist.

"Welcome to the Mystery Shack!" Stan Pines greeted his customers. Using his expertise he had acquired from many years of conning experience to attract more unsuspecting customers and milked them off of their hard-earned money. While he was busy attracting customers, a small bubbly girl in a tacky pink sweater was playing with her favorite pet pig outside of the shack, nibbling on it's ear; she was none other than Mabel Pines and with her was Waddles.

"Mabel, there you are!" Dipper, Mabel's younger twin brother, ran towards his older twin sister, who smiled brightly upon seeing him.

"Hey bro bro!" Mabel greeted her brother with such enthusiasm that it would brighten any room. "What's the word, Dipper?"

"Mabel, you'll never guess what I found: I discovered a bridge deep within the forest. I have a hunch crossing that bridge we could discovered one of Gravity Falls' secrets!" Dipper excitedly replied, his eyes filled with much determination.

"Sweet! Another day of adventure in good old Gravity Falls!" Mabel joyfully shouted, not even questioning what gave Dipper his hunch.

Just then, Wendy opened the door with a smile on her face, holding a cupcake in her hand.

"Hey Wendy!" Mabel greeted her friend, before catching a glance of her half eaten cupcake and gasping as if someone just got shot. "Where did you get that?!" she demanded, wanting one herself.

"Hey Mabel," Wendy greeted back, before Stan butted into their conversation.

"Wendy! You're late! I didn't pay for someone to be late to work! What gives?!" Wendy ignored Stan, too busy talking to Mabel.

"I got this cupcake for free from a nearby bakery that they just opened," she explained, taking another bite of her muffin, her taste buds consumed by the near overwhelmed sweet flavor. "This cupcake is probably the best one I've ever had!" Mabel's eye beamed with hunger, wanting to try one for herself.

"I need to get one! Dipper, let's go!" Dipper, however, groaned with dismay by his sister's quick decision.

"Mabel, what about helping me uncovering another of Gravity Falls' secrets?"

"Oh come on Dipper, it wouldn't hurt to get a free cupcake," Wendy insisted. In the end, Dipper relented, giving into his twin sister's demand.

"...Fine. We can go to the bakery first," Mabel squealed and hugged her brother.

"To the bakery!" Mabel ran out The Mystery Shack so fast, she nearly shoved the door off it's hinges, dragging Dipper with her, while Wendy and Waddles followed the twins, causing Stan to ran out the shack as well, yelling them at the distance.

"Hey! What about The Mystery Shack?!" he raised his fist up in the air and shook it with all of his might, until sighing in defeat and retreated into his business.

* * *

"So Wendy, where is the bakery?" asked Mabel as calmly as she physically could, as she, Dipper and Waddles followed Wendy to the newly opened bakery. Mabel became frantic with each second from Wendy's description of the delicious cupcake, causing her mind and stomach demand one.

"It's by the town library," Wendy replied, just as she finished up her cupcake.

"Are the cupcakes even worth it?" Dipper questioned her, causing a huge smile creeped up her face.

"Oh man, that is an understatement. It's a must have!" she replied, cleansing both her hands; the taste of the cupcake she had made her want to get another one.

"Right," Dipper paused as he raised his eyebrow, before looking at his sister.

"Must… find… bakery..." Mabel mumbled, desperately searching for the sweets shop.

Dipper only respond by rolling his eyes, as they continued to walk. Just then, though, Waddles raise his head and began sniffing and fidgeting, pulling Mabel out of her sugar coated hug.

"What is it, Waddles?" Mabel asked, worried something might be wrong.

Before she knew it, Waddles sprinted off without warning. Mabel, Wendy and Dipper quickly followed his trail, but it didn't took long for them to hear a voice of a young child around the corner.

"H-hey! Get away from those boxes! Shoo!"

"Waddles! I'm coming!" Mabel shouted, sprinting towards the direction where the voice is coming from.

"Hey! I'm warning you! Stop it! Shoo! Shoo!"

"Whoa, what is Waddles doing to this poor kid?" Dipper couldn't help but asked, as he heard the voice getting louder.

"Oh no…No!" A loud "THUD!" was heard by the twins and Wendy, followed by a loud squeal from Waddles, causing Mabel to panic.

"WADDLES!" Mabel frantically shouted, running towards where Waddles' squeals were coming from. But upon her arrival, Mabel saw Waddles peacefully eating away what appears to be donuts, each decorated with many toppings; some familiar to her, while a few others were totally new to her. Waddles walked towards Mabel upon seeing her, with cream and toppings all over his mouth.

"There are you, Waddles!" Mabel shouted, giving her pet pig one mighty hug. This quick reunion was short live, though, as she heard a grumpy voice.

"Are you serious?! Great! Just great!" The young boy yelled in frustration, before turning to Waddles and then Mabel, allowing the optimistic girl to see the young child that was scowling over the loss of the donuts; he appeared to be almost her age, had medium shoulder length light aquamarine hair that was long enough for most people to identify his gender, light pale skin, sea green eyes and is very short, almost around Mabel's level in terms of height. He also possessed what seemed like an oceanic scent, as if he came from an island or a city near the sea.

Upon scanning the young boy from head to toe, she instantly fell in love with him and let out a large fan girl squeal, shocking her would-be future boyfriend.

"Uhh…please tell me that is this your pig so i can criticized you," he awkwardly said.

Mabel, however, completely ignored him and begin to introduce herself.

"Hi I'm Mabel! I'm 12 twelve years old and I own a pig! Wanna get married?"

The young boy looked at Mabel with a mixture of dumbstruck, irritation and annoyance, before speaking up, ready to addressed his feelings and frustration out on the bubbly young girl.

"One, Hi Mabel, since that is your name. Two, I didn't ask for your age. Three, I see that this is your pig and four, no I don't want to get married, especially from the likes of you and on a side note, aren't you a bit too young to ask someone's hand in marriage?"

"Oh nonsense! You're never too young or old for love!" Mabel replied cheerfully, her eyes glittered with affection. The young boy only rolled his eyes in response.

"Ugh! Whatever! Your pig ate all these boxes of donuts and pastries!"

"Oh come on, no need to get upset over spilled milk," Mabel attempted to calm her newly acclaimed crush as best she could. "You can get some from the newly bakery that just opened up around here I heard from my friend Wendy. " This earned her a slight chuckle from her crush, before he proceeded to speak.

"That's funny, because I happen to work there, you air headed buffoon!" The young boy face palmed at Mabel's ignorance, causing her to gasp in shock.

"You know where the donut place is? Sweet! Come on! Please show us!"

"Mabel!" The two kids turned around and saw Dipper and Wendy running towards them. They stopped and took a breather or two, before they looked and saw Mabel with a bright smile on her face.

"Uh, Mabel? Care to tell me what's going on?" Dipper asked.

"Oh! I happened to bump into this handsome b-" Mabel, however, was rudely interrupted by the young boy and from what Wendy and Dipper could tell, was far from being happy.

"Allow me to explain: her pig here tackled me and ate all of my donuts and pastries that I was carrying after my efforts of keeping them away from this gluttonous machine here!"

"Hey! Waddles is not a machine!" Mabel defended her lovable pet pig. Insulting Waddles seemed to be the only way to take Mabel's love goggles off.

"Oh? Tell me then, what else would eat three boxes of donuts and pastries?" The young boy challenged her.

"ME!" Mabel proudly replied, causing the sea green eyed boy to laugh.

"You? Eat three boxes of donuts and pastries? You're either fearless or foolishly reckless!" This left Mabel a bit dumbfounded and upset of being laughed at. After a moment of laughing, the boy stopped and looked at the mess Waddles had made, before sighing.

"Ugh! I'm so in the deep fryer now," Dipper walked toward the young boy with an annoyed look on his face.

"Hey, did you just laughed at my sister?!"

"Dipper, calm down," Wendy quickly intervene, making sure a fight didn't break out. The young boy remained unflappable of the tension; If anything, Dipper's determination to protect Mabel amused him a bit.

"As a matter of fact, I did," The young boy then smirked at Dipper before frowning. "But I apologize if I hurt you both. I'm just stressed now that I have to explain this mess to Miranda."

Dipper's anger slowly subsided, before turning to Mabel and Waddles.

"Mabel, do you seriously have to bring Waddles _everywhere_ we go?!"

"Yes I do Dipper! Waddles is not some pet. He's part of the family!" Mabel replied firmly. "Ain't that right, sweetee?" Mabel said affectionately as she rubbed Waddles' tummie, earning a delighted squeal from the pig. "He is a big dunderhead, isn't he?"

It didn't took long for the twins to get into an heated argument, with Wendy just shook her head while the young boy simply stared at the twins, completely dumbfounded.

"I'm so sorry you had to see this," he apologized to Wendy, letting out another sigh.

"It's cool," She then begin to make small talk between her and the young boy. "So, I haven't seen you around these parts here. I'm guessing your new to Gravity Falls, huh?"

"Yes I am. My family moved here last weekend after buying that empty building across the library and opened a family business," The young boy replied.

"Wait, that bakery I went there earlier…your family owns it?!" Wendy's eyes widened by the young boy's claim, who promptly nodded his head in response.

"Yep. Since it's the grand opening today, I had to work transferring all the donuts and other sweets back and forth from my house to the bakery. These boxes, as you can see here next to my feet, were the last batch of donuts and pastries to cover the whole day. But thanks to your friend's pig here, we won't be able to have enough to provide certain kinds of donuts and pastries to cover the whole day. My parents are going to kill me."

"I feel your pain," Wendy said, scratching her head awkwardly. Stan wasn't the most pleasant to work with if his shipments didn't come in. Come to think of it, He wasn't the most pleasant to work with period the more she thought about it. "I'm very sorry about what happened. Really, I am."

"Thanks. I just hope they can take the news well," The young boy sighed.

"I'm Wendy, by the way," she introduced herself. "What's your name?"

"It's Sebastian. Nice to meet you, Wendy." The young boy introduced himself, before turning his attention towards the twins. "I already met your friend Mabel and her pig Waddles, but who's that with them?"

"That's Dipper. Mabel's twin brother."

"Wait? Are you serious?! His name is Dipper?!" Sebastian tried his best not to laugh.

"It's not his real name of course. It's his nickname but he won't tell anyone about it," Wendy replied, as she let out a laugh. "Anyway, You should come to the Mystery shack sometimes and hang out with us."

"The Mystery Shack?"

"Yeah, it's where I work most of the time and Mabel and Dipper are staying. But beware of Stan; he's very bad news." Wendy cautiously explained. "Especially since I basically just skipped work entirely today."

"I'll...keep that in mind," Sebastian eventually agreed.

* * *

After their brief fiasco, Wendy and Dipper followed Sebastian back to the bakery, but not before he apologized to them for his behavior earlier. Much to his surprisement, though, both Mabel and Dipper easily forgave him, understanding his actions and the predicament he was in. It was rather strange for them to help him out, despite being strangers, but for the moment, decided to drop the issue for now.

"I'm so sorry about Waddles ate all your baked goods," Dipper apologized

"It's fine Dipper. Pigs will be pigs, I guess," Sebastian said with a sigh.

"Wait...how did you know my name?" he wearily asked.

"Wendy told me your name while you and Mabel were arguing with each other," Sebastian honestly replied, with Wendy herself nodding her to confirm his answer, causing Dipper's facial expression to softened.

"Oh...okay," Dipper scratched his head awkwardly.

"Finally, we're here!" Sebastian shouted, both emotionally and physically exhausted.

Dipper, Mabel and Wendy arrived at the block where the library was located, before noticing a building across the street, where dozens of people were waiting in line. It was at least medium sized, painted in baby blue and navy blue and decorated with many ocean themes such as waves, seagulls and a few boat shores. The building even had its own parking lot and two drive thrus. Needless to say, the trio were astonished at the mere sight of it.

"Whoa! That's a donut shop?!" Mabel gasped. "How did we miss this being built?!"

"We didn't build it from scratch. There used to be another store here and we just took it, remodeled it, and opened it as a bakery," Sebastian replied. "Come on, I'll show you what inside looks like."

* * *

Sebastian lead the trio inside the donut shop through the back, avoiding the long lines that were blocking the main entrance. As soon as they stepped inside, they were completely awestruck; the inside was hugely decorated with the same ocean theme just like its outside decor, with paintings of an ocean on the left side, a painting of a sunset in the middle and on the right side were paintings of the stars and moon, reminiscing the beautiful night sky over a white, sandy beach. Rows of tables, chairs and chaises were layered out and a few plasma TVs were hanging on each corner of the shop, allowing customer or employee to watch. All and all, it was a donut shop that gave its customers a sense of comfort and relaxation.

Wendy, Dipper and Mabel scrolled around, while Sebastian himself headed towards the back of the donut shop, where a young teen was loading a variety of donuts.

"Miranda, I'm back!" Sebastian shouted.

Miranda turned around and saw Sebastian from behind. She was a young girl that was around Wendy's age, with long, thick black liquorice hair, teal green eyes, pale skin and rather tall, nearly rivaling Wendy's level in terms of height. She wore a sailor fuku blue skirt, light blue t-shirt, white shoes and white socks, as well as two golden earrings.

"Hey Sebastian!" Miranda greeted with a warm smile. "Do you have the donuts?"

"Yeah… about that..." Sebastian spoke nervously. "A pig attacked me and ate all three boxes of donuts."

"Uh…a pig?" Miranda wasn't so sure whether she should be amused or be upset. Sebastian could only sigh, before he turn to the door and shouted at the top of his lung.

"Mabel! Come here!"

"Coming my love!" Mabel shouted back, feeling lovey dovey, much to Sebastian's dismay. Mabel came to the back of the donut shop, with Waddles following her. Upon seeing the bubbly optimistic girl, Miranda gushed in her cuteness.

"OMG! Who's this girl? She's so cute!"

"I'm Mabel!" Mabel introduced herself.

"Hi Mabel! I'm Miranda and it's so nice to meet you!" Miranda then turn her attention to Sebastian. "Sebastian, you made a new friend! I'm so happy for you!"

Sebastian only rolled his eyes. "Miranda, this is the girl who owned this gluttonous machine of a pig that ate all the donuts I had!"

"Sebastian, don't be rude!" she scolded him.

"Ugh!" Sebastian threw his arms up in frustration and stormed off to a nearby table, with Wendy and Dipper following him, leaving Mabel, Waddles and Miranda alone in the back, the former sheepishly scratching her head.

"What Sebastian said about Waddles...is true. My pig did ate all the donuts he was carrying. I'm so sorry!" Mabel pleaded, looking very ashamed. "I didn't know this would happen."

Miranda then glanced at Waddles, who was rubbing his head against her to comfort Mabel, still teary eyed at this point. She then noticed a few crumbles of donut toppings surrounding his face. That and the smell alone confirmed both Sebastian's and Mabel's story; now realizing this, Miranda got down on her knees and gently patted Mabel's head.

"Don't cry Mabel. It's okay," Miranda comforted Mabel. "Listen, let's not worry about the eaten donuts."

"But what about the other customers?" Mabel pointed out.

"I've got that covered Mabel," Miranda assured her with a wink, before she got up on her feet, grabbed a huge pink box off a nearby shelf and handed it to Mabel.

"What's this?"

"Open it, Mabel."

Mabel opened the box and saw a variety of donuts, cupcakes and pastries, all of the looks so irresistible and smell out of this world.

"Wow! Thank you! Thank you!" Mabel exclaimed, completely grateful to Miranda's generosity. But then she remembered what Sebastian said, "Don't you need these donuts? I thought you were running low."

"We were for a little bit, but another shipment came in while Sebastian was gone. Lucky us, huh? And you're quite welcome, Mabel!" Miranda smiled. "Think of it as a little thank you for being honest and being Sebastian's friend and all, despite having to put up with his anger issues. You need to have the patience of a saint to put up with him sometimes," Miranda smirked as she gave Sebastian a sideways glance.

"Don't worry, Miranda, I'll make sure Sebastian will get the welcome treatment here in Gravity Falls!" Mabel vowed.

"Good! I'll be counting on ya!" Miranda replied.

* * *

Back at the donut shop, Dipper, Wendy and Sebastian were talking amongst themselves, mainly for the latter to calm himself down after Miranda embarrassed him. He was actually feeling better, especially after what Wendy told him.

"Seriously?! You used to dress up as a lamb for Halloween?!" Sebastian burst out laughing, as he felt tears of joy coming out of his eyes.

"Yeah! I should ask Mabel to show you a picture of him sometime," Wendy replied, trying to contain her own laughter.

"Please do! I need to see it for myself," Sebastian insisted.

"No you don't!" Dipper exclaimed in anger and embarrassment, "You can live just fine never seeing that picture!"

Just then, Dipper, Wendy and Sebastian saw Mabel and Waddles running towards them.

"Hey Mabel, you're looking happier than usual… which is quite the feat in it of itself," said Wendy before she caught a glimpse of the pink box. "What's that?"

"Miranda gave us donuts, cupcakes and pastries for free!" Mabel replied as she opened the box.

"Woo! YES!" Wendy cheered as she grabbed a vanilla sugar bake munch topping cupcake and took a huge bite.

"Is that Sugar Bake Munch cereal toppings?!" Dipper asked, clearly in shock.

"Yes it is Dipper," Wendy answered, before taking another bite of her cupcake. "Delicious."

"Try one Dipper!" Mabel ordered as she took a bite on a chocolate donut with Choco Pops cereal toppings.

With a sigh, Dipper reluctantly grabbed a Cookies and Cream cupcake with Marvey's candy bar bits toppings on whipped cream. Dipper took a bite out of it and in one instance…

"WOW! This is the best thing I have ever tasted!"

"I know, right?!"

While the trio continued to munch on their meals, Sebastian, for his part, was amazed that Miranda would allow Mabel to have a batch of baked goods just like that. Whatever happened between them, Mabel certainly made a good impression on her and for once, he didn't felt like objecting to it.

* * *

"That was fun, wasn't it, Dipper?" asked Wendy.

"Yeah, it was," Dipper replied, relaxing a bit.

"See Dipper…" Mabel began, still carrying the box of pastry goods. "You need to loosen up every now and then instead of solving Gravity Falls' mysteries one too many times." the moment she brought this up, Dipper's eyes widen in shock. He almost forgot about his latest discovery.

"AH! That's right! I gotta show you guys something!" Dipper immediately made his way to the main entrance.

"Wait for us, bro!" Mabel exclaimed and along with Wendy and Waddles, quickly followed Dipper outside.

But without warning, Mabel collided into something or rather someone, causing the former to accidentally open up the box, allowing a few pastries to fell on the latter. After regaining their composure, Mabel tried to give her unintended victim an apology.

"I'm so sorry about-" Mabel was cut off when she saw the now ruined pastries on the pavement. "NO! I didn't even tried them all yet!"

"Mabel, you can ask for another batch next time," Wendy tried to calm the overly distressed Mabel down, before turning to the stranger. "Sorry about that back there." She then extended her arm out and help the stranger up.

"It's alright. I wasn't looking where I was going," the stranger insisted, giving Mabel and Wendy a full glimpse of the individual.

The stranger was a teenage girl, but was taller than Wendy, with brunette hair tied into a ponytail, with a mermaid hairpin, scarlet eyes and light brown skin and wearing a bright red sweater, purple shorts, pink socks and white sneakers.

Wendy and Mabel continued to stare at the stranger, though they didn't notice Dipper making his way back, having realize that he left them behind in a hurry.

"Guys, I'm sorry about…" Dipper trailed when he noticed the stranger just a few inches away from his friend and sister. "Did I miss something?"

"Long story short, Mabel and I were coming after you when you left the donut shop in a hurry until we bumped into her."

"Like I said, it's alright," the stranger reminded the two. "By the way, my name's Emily."

"Hey Emily, the name's Wendy."

"I'm Dipper."

"And I'm Mabel and here is my…" Mabel turned around and noticed that Waddles is nowhere to be found. "Oh my gosh, where did he go now?!"

"Hey, I thought I made it clear that you can't eat those!" a familiar voice shouted from the background.

"Here we go again," Dipper mumbled, as he, Mabel, Wendy and Emily head to the back of the donut shop and just as he had suspected, Waddles was right next to Sebastian, desperately trying to nab another pastry.

"Would you knock it off? You got your fair share already!"

But Waddles remained determined, still trying to nab a loose pastry that was hanging out from the box. Sebastian's patience was decreasing by the second and he was starting to lose his cool with the stubborn pig.

"That does it! If you won't leave willingly, then I'll _make_ you!"

Sebastian then dropped the boxes on the ground and much to the gang's surprise, a ball of ice the size of a softball formed in his hand, as he raised it right towards a now terrified Waddles, slowly backing away from the furious boy.

"**DON'T!"** Mabel called out.

But it was too late, as Sebastian shoot the ice at Waddles in a fit of rage; but then, something strange happened: Emily quickly rushed up towards the blast and in an instant, a shield made out of water formed on her arm, blocking the ice and deflecting it back at the stunned Sebastian, knocking him down to a nearby wall and leaving him in a daze. The unexpected occurrence left the trio dumbstruck by what they witnessed.

"...What just happened?" Wendy finally asked, as she and Dipper turned their attention to Emily, who seemed to realize what she had just did seconds ago.

"Umm...oops?" Mabel ran up to Waddles catering her beloved pet, not even caring about what Emily just did.

"Guys…" Dipper began. "I think we have stumbled ourselves into another mysteries of Gravity Falls."

"We may need water wings for this one…" Wendy spoke as everyone went silent, now wondering what to say next.

* * *

**So Sorry for Chapter 1 to end on a sour cliffhanger. Trust me I know you guys feel, hell even I sometimes hate them as well. But I'll make sure cliffhangers don't appear as often as they come. On the side note looks like Dipper, Wendy, Mabel and Waddles stumbled upon something very interesting; 2 new residents that one wields hydrokinesis**** while the other wields c****yrokinesis. What would awaits the gang? More supernatural beings? The gnomes again? The Multi-bear? Gideon even? In Gravity Falls anything is possible! Stay tuned for Chapter 2 to find out more!**

**Please review you guys. Ciao! **


	2. Episode 2: Bridge of Riddles

_Previously on Gravity Falls: The Zodiacs:_

_"**DON'T!"** Mabel called out._

_But it was too late, as Sebastian shoot the ice at Waddles in a fit of rage; but then, something strange happened: Emily quickly rushed up towards the blast and in an instant, a shield made out of water formed on her arm, blocking the ice and deflecting it back at the stunned Sebastian, knocking him down to a nearby wall and leaving him in a daze. The unexpected occurrence left the trio dumbstruck by what they witnessed._

_"...What just happened?" Wendy finally asked, as she and Dipper turned their attention to Emily, who seemed to realize what she had just did seconds ago._

_"Umm...oops?" Mabel ran up to Waddles catering her beloved pet, not even caring about what Emily just did._

_"Guys…" Dipper began. "I think we have stumbled ourselves into another mysteries of Gravity Falls."_

* * *

**The Zodiacs**

A Gravity Falls Story

By Allenfairytail

Season 1: Water War

Episode 2: Bridge of Riddles

Everyone just stared at what had just occurred right in front of their own eyes: Sebastian had just let his temper exploded and unexpectedly formed an ice the size of a snowball and shot right at Waddles; even more amazing, Emily ran towards Waddles out of pure instinct and formed a water shield on her arm, deflecting the attack right back at Sebastian.

"What…just happened?" Mabel asked, still a bit shock, as she clung onto Waddles.

"I don't know, but maybe we should ask her," Dipper replied, motioning his arm towards a nervous Emily.

"Wait, um, let me explain…" Emily was at a lost. She didn't know what to say and was afraid what they will do next.

Before she knew it, Mabel immediately went right up to her with a smile on her face, using her one free arm to enthusiastically shake Emily's hand out of sheer gratitude.

"Thank you, THANK YOU, **THANK YOU!"**

"Um...you're welcome," Emily awkwardly answered, but was secretly happy of Mabel's thanks.

"So where did you get your super duper powers?" Mabel started to ask. "Did you came from outer space after your homeworld was destroyed? DId a mermaid gave you one after you saved her life? Are you one yourself? Or how about-"

"Mabel, give Emily some space!" Dipper interrupted, before facing Emily. "Go ahead."

"Thank you," Emily then took a deep breath, but before she could offer an explain, she was cut off by someone muttering out loud.

"Ow, my head! What hit me back there?"

The moment Sebastian started to stir up, Dipper, Mabel and Wendy felt it was the right time to confront him, especially after his earlier action, as they made their way up to him and gave him a serious look.

"Um...yes?" Sebastian didn't know why the trio were staring at him.

"How could you attack Waddles like that with your super power?! Thanks to you, he might be traumatized for life!" Mabel angrily shouted, before showing a shakened Waddles in his face. The moment Sebastian heard those words coming out from her mouth, his eyes widen in shock and realized what she was talking about.

"I'm sorry, okay!?" Sebastian shouted apologetically. "I wasn't going to harm him, honestly! I was just trying to scare him away when he wouldn't stop trying to get the pastries from the boxes!"

"That still doesn't change the fact that you used your power at him!" Dipper countered. "You could have done it differently."

"Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry." Sebastian sighed in guilt.

"Maybe you and Emily can tell us how you pulled it off," Wendy suggested, before she looked around her surroundings. "But not here. We don't want to attract too much attention."

"That sounds like a good idea," Emily agreed.

"Wait a minute, I can't do that! I still have to help my-" Sebastian's protest was cut short when Mabel grabbed his hand and dragged him, forcing him to follow her, Dipper, Wendy, Waddles and Emily to who knows where, leaving the few boxes behind, just as Miranda showed up from the back.

"Sebastian, what's taking you so long?" she called out, only to see some abandoned boxes of pastries instead, much to her surprise. "Now where did he go?"

* * *

At Dipper's insistence, the gang headed to the nearby forest not far from where they were and upon arrival, he, Mabel and Wendy looked around, trying to make sure that they, along with Waddles, Sebastian and Emily, were the only ones around. After only a few minutes, the group relaxed with peace and relief.

"That…was a close one," Dipper commented.

"No kidding, Dipper," Mabel agreed.

"What the freak was that for?!" Sebastian shouted at them. "I have loads of work to do back at the bakery! How am I going to explain to Miranda about my absence?"

"Your welcome," Dipper deadpanned.

"Don't be disappointed, Dipper. He's just stressed out, that's all," Wendy attempted to prevent another argument, before facing Sebastian. "Anyway, as I was saying, you and Emily needed to tell us how you did it."

"Emily?" he asked incredulously, before he turned to see a teenage girl he didn't recognized before, who simply waved her hand back at him. "Oh, so that's her."

"Oh yeah, I thought it wouldn't be an adventure if you and Emily weren't involved," Mabel happily explained, irking Sebastian, while Emily wasn't bothered by it. Then, an idea came to her. "Say, how about we sit down and you guys tell about yourselves? That way, we won't bother Dipper and you can tell all about your colorful pasts."

"That...might not be such a bad idea," Dipper agreed, surprised by his sister's suggestion. "Since we're already here in the forest, I'll just look into this journal and learn more of what we're looking for."

"Alrighty!" Mabel shouted enthusiastically.

With that, Dipper pulled out Journal #3 from his side and opened it, checking any entry about his earlier discovery, while Wendy and Emily, along with Mabel, Sebastian and Waddles, sat on a bunch of discarded logs, as Mabel began to nudge on her crush's side, much to his annoyance.

"So tell us about your powers and yourself already," Mabel eagerly demanded, her excitement overriding her politeness, as she continued to madly nudge him.

"I would if you stop nudging me like that."

"Come on, Sebastian, I'm just being playful."

"Mabel…"

"...Have it your way then," Mabel reluctantly relented and stopped nudging on Sebastian's side.

Satisfied to hear this, he took a deep breath, before offering Mabel the history behind his powers and himself.

"It all began a while back, at least a few years ago. I came from Texas, where my dad once ran an automobile business and my mom would helped him out. But because of the arrangement, my two older sisters and I were left to take care of ourselves."

"Wow, that's rough," Mabel commented, before she realized something. "That still doesn't explain how you got your neat powers."

"I'm getting there," Sebastian assured her, before resuming where he left off. "I discover my powers a year ago, when I was swimming with a few other people and decided to make a bet to see who could outswim the other. We were so caught up with our competition that I accidentally activated my powers, propelling myself to the other side of the pool in seconds."

"No way!" Mabel gasped, before another thought occurred to her. "What about everyone else?"

"I had an awkward time trying to explain what they actually had saw. It took me a long time before I managed to convince them that the sun was probably playing tricks with their eyes. Fortunately, they fell for it and we didn't talk about that incident for the rest of the day."

"Wow, that is pretty lucky."

"It was, but on that day, I learned how to be careful from now on and not draw too much attention to myself. The last thing I want is to put my family in danger because of my carelessness and just thinking about it bothers me a lot."

Mabel continued to look at Sebastian, her enthusiasm replaced by sympathy after hearing his backstory. She didn't expect her crush to put himself in a situation that put a lot of stress in his mind.

"Don't worry too much about it," Mabel attempted to reason with him. "Sure, the idea of your powers freaking out everyone is understandable, but you gotta loosen up and have fun, like knitting sweaters!"

"Knitting sweaters?" Sebastian didn't know what Mabel was getting at.

"It's a great stress reliever!" she exclaimed. "But enough about that. Let's talk about you. You still didn't explain what else you can do besides shooting an ice ball."

"It's still new to me," Sebastian admitted. "I'm still trying to figure out what else I can do."

"It's cool," Mabel accepted his explanation, before she started to giggle at her own pun. "Get it?"

"Yeah, I get it."

While Mabel and Sebastian started to get to know each other, Wendy and Emily were having a similar conversation of their own

"So Emily…" Wendy began. "Please tell me about yourself."

"Well, there's not much to talk about," Emily claimed.

"Come on, Emily, I'm sure you're an interesting person," Wendy insisted.

"I don't know," she remained unconvinced, prompting Wendy to think long and hard until it hit her; she just hope it might do the trick.

"If it'll make you feel better, I once compete in lumberjack games."

"You were in lumberjack games?" Emily asked, much to her surprise

"Believe it or not, they ended up being useful, but I'll talk about that another day," said Wendy. "Now you give it a try."

"...Alright then," Emily agreed, taking a deep breath, before telling her new friend about herself. "I use to live in Wyoming and I was the youngest out of four kids, but I spent most of life in California and…" Emily stopped in her track, much to Wendy's curiosity.

"What's wrong, Emily?"

"...Let's just say that living in California wasn't the best moment for me. My dad and I never gotten along and my mom..." Emily stopped once more the moment she brought her mother up, causing her much discomfort.

"It's alright, you don't have to say it if you don't feel like it," said Wendy, putting her hand on Emily's shoulder with genuine concern.

"Thank you, I really needed that," Emily was glad that she didn't have to talk too much of her past. The memories of those days were still painful for her.

"Let's talk about something else then," Wendy suggested. "Like, tell me how you were able to form a shield out of water."

"Sure, I can talk about that," Emily accepted, as she began her explanation to Wendy. "It was two years ago at the beach and I was doing some wakeboarding with a few friends. We were having such a good time that neither of us didn't notice an oncoming boat heading our way, coming closer towards me. By the time I saw it, I panicked and in that instant, I formed a water shield around myself, just as the boat hit it, sending me to the lake. I was really lucky when it happened or I wouldn't be here."

"Yikes!" Wendy was surprised that Emily was caught in such a predicament. "What about your friends though?"

"When I swam back to shore, they got off from the boat and asked me what happened. I told them that I let go of the handle when a nearby boat came by. I didn't tell them about my powers because I thought they would freak out. Anyway, we mind our business afterwards. Sorry if it's not much of a story."

"No sweat, Emily. It was better than having no story at all and thanks for sharing about yourself," Wendy assured her, enough to put a smile on Emily's face.

"Guys, I think I found it!" Dipper shouted, prompting the four to stop what they were doing and turned their attention to him, as they gathered around to see what he was looking at his journal; On one of the pages was a picture of a bridge that looked centuries old, with woods holding it in its place.

"Is that...a bridge?" Emily curiously asked.

"That's right," Dipper replied. "It also happens to be a part of one of Gravity Falls mysteries and we're going over there to solve it!"

Confused by his last claim, but also curious, Sebastian inspected the illustration of the bridge much closer. His eyes widen when he saw it for himself.

"This bridge is…old and on the verge of collapse. We can't cross this! What if someone got hurt?!"

"I agree with Sebastian here," Wendy inclined. "Crossing a very old and damaged bridge is very dangerous."

"But we gotta cross it!" Dipper convinced. "We just have to walk slowly through the bridge closely and carefully."

"Are you sure, Dipper?" Mabel asked with concern.

"I'm sure of it!" he exclaimed. "Now come on, let's get going!"

Reluctantly, the group followed his lead, despite their misgivings, as they began the long trek to finding this mystery bridge, unaware of what was waiting for them.

* * *

It was at least several minutes and the gang weren't so sure if they were getting closer to their destination or not. Fortunately for them, the journal also acted as some sort of map for them, as DIpper followed the trail as intently as he could, wanting to make sure that they weren't getting lost. Slowly but surely, they approached a rickety old bridge from a distance; it crossed over a very muddy river and there seemed to be no way around it.

"Looks like we found your mystery bridge," Mabel said to Dipper.

"I still don't think this is a good idea," Sebastian voiced his opinion.

"Remember what I said earlier: we'll just walk slowly on the bridge as closely and carefully as we can, find out what's on the other side and we'll be back in town before you know it," Dipper reasoned with him.

"You're the boss," Wendy simply said, with Emily nodding her head.

Once everyone came to an agreement, Dipper lead his friends to their destination once more, marching with confidence. But upon their arrival, though, they heard what sounded like a deep but rough voice speaking out of nowhere.

"**Who dares to cross my bridge?! Speak now or leave at once!"**

"W-What was that?!" Sebastian fearfully asked.

"I-I don't know!" Emily replied, just as fearful as he was.

"Looks like we'll have to wait and find out for ourselves," Wendy said like it was nothing.

On cue, someone, or something, was coming underneath the bridge, making big stomps with each step, before he stepped out of the shadow, allowing the group to get a full glimpse of the being; he was twice the size of any humans, with blue skin and huge muscles, horns protruding from his head, with wild green hair on it, as well as the right horn missing half of it, four eyes on his forehead, fangs hanging loose from his mouth, claws on his hands, ten toes and wearing what looked like a loincloth made out of tiger skin, carrying a steel-like bat on his back.

Based on his expression, he was very grouchy and quite ill-tempered, displeased to have some visitors in his presence.

"**What brings you over here? SPEAK!"** he angrily demanded.

The group remained silent, still unsure how to respond back, though Sebastian and Emily are astonished to see something so...supernatural right in their faces. Dipper, on the other hand, quickly flip over a few pages, before he founded an entry about this mystery monster.

"Let's see…what matches what I'm looking at…here! According to this journal, Oni are part of a class of monsters called yokai that are normally associated to Japanese folklore. Oni are also monstrous in nature that are associated with natural disasters, diseases or unpleasant things, sometimes attacking and even devouring humans if necessary."

Dipper looked up at the Oni, then back at the entry, before arching an eyebrow in confusion.

'_What the heck is an Oni doing in Gravity Falls anyway?'_

"No way…an Oni?! Here!?" Sebastian panicked as he is aware of Japanese mythology and folklore. "You sure it's not a troll?!"

"**Silence! How dare you call me a troll!"** the Oni shouted in fury. "**If you want to cross my bridge, you'll have to answer my riddles or I'll have you for dinner tonight!"**

"Don't worry, let me handle this," Mabel said with confidence, much to Sebastian's surprise, as she started to approach the Oni.

"Mabel, what are you doing?!" Sebastian shouted in fear. "Get back here!"

But Mabel ignored his pleas, however and made her way to face the Oni, as she took a deep breath before speaking up as loud as she can hear.

"Look foureyes, we came here all the way to find out what's on the other side and if you have a problem with it, then deal with it, bub!" to make sure she meant business, Mabel threw her fist up the air and waved it angrily back at him.

"...Really?" Sebastian questioned her sanity and action. What happened next took him and the gang by surprise.

"**You're quite brave, little girl and for that, perhaps you and your friends could accept my challenge…"** the Oni began. "**Answered three riddles and I shall allow you all to cross. But fail any of them and I shall make feast upon you."**

"See, I knew what I was doing," Mabel told her friends, before Dipper approached his sister, grabbed her arm and dragged her back with them for her own safety, just as the Oni spoke once more.

"**Riddle number one: Make Mount Fuji take three steps. How?"**

Almost immediately, everyone began to ponder in silence, looking for the answer for the first riddle. Dipper was the most determined of them all, however, his thoughts filled with many possible solutions, or at least, he hoped so.

'_How do you make Mount Fuji take three steps?...I know, it should...no wait, that wouldn't make sense. Of course, it has to be...that doesn't make any sense either. Think Dipper, think!'_

"Walk three steps," stunned by this, Dipper, as well as everyone else, turned their focus on Sebastian, no doubt the one who answered the first riddle.

"That's it? Walk three steps?" Dipper asked incredulously.

"**Correct!"** the Oni answered, somewhat amused by the response. "**Three steps are three steps, who ever walks them."**

"...That doesn't make any sense!" Dipper objected.

"Yes it does!" Mabel disagreed, even though she had no idea what any of it meant.

"**Silence!"** the Oni spoke up, silencing the twins and their friends, before resuming where he left off. "**Riddle number two: Why is it not our tongue we speak with?"**

Once again, the group were deep in their thoughts, looking for the correct answer to this bizarre riddle and once more, Dipper was trying to find the right solution to it.

'_This is going to be a tough one...maybe it's just...nah, that's wrong...how about...nope, not there. What is the correct answer?'_

"Say something," Wendy told everyone, hoping one of them would have a clue. Though even she was taken by surprise by what happened next.

"**Correct!"** the Oni praised her. "**Silly question. Just show that you're speaking."**

Dipper was aghast by this; he couldn't believe something as simple would have been the correct answer. What kind of riddles was he and his friends playing? They sound quite ridiculous. He was expecting something challenging, not confusing.

"**Final riddle…"** the Oni began. "**The principle of Zen is complete freedom. Why?"**

Once he finished his riddle, everyone were lost in their thoughts once more, especially Dipper, as he was trying to make sense of the last previous riddles. If they were as absurd and strange, the last riddle might as well be surreal.

'_Alright Dipper, try to make some sense with this riddle,'_ he thought to himself. '_Whatever the answer, find it right away before-'_

"Ooh! Ooh! I think I got it!" Mabel suddenly shouted. "Walk around and sing!"

"Mabel!" Dipper yelled at his sister with horror.

"**Correct!"** the Oni proudly spoke, impressed by the group's efforts. "**The why of Zen is a principle of everything, don't bother."**

"Wait, what?" Dipper deadpanned. "Who writes these things? They make no sense," he muttered, completely baffled at what just happened.

"**Just as I promised, you are allowed to cross the bridge whenever you like,"** the Oni informed the group, much to their relief. For once, it was nice to encounter something supernatural that at least honored a promise.

"...That's it, I give up," Dipper expressed his disbelief by throwing his arms up in the air.

"Alright, we did it!" Mabel shouted with joy.

"I'm just glad we got luck on our side," Wendy commented.

"Let's save the celebration when we get to the other side," said Sebastian.

"Before he changes his mind," Emily added.

With that in mind, the group crossed over the other side of the bridge, curious and intrigued on what they'll discover once they made it through. What they discovered was not what they expected.

"Uh, guys?" Wendy spoke up, causing everyone to turn around to see her and Emily standing in the river. "The water's shallow."

"I don't think it even goes up to my ankles," Emily noticed.

"...You mean we went through all that for nothing!?" a chagrin Dipper shouted.

"Well now you know!" Mabel exclaimed, ignoring her brother's annoyance.

"Anyway, now that we're here, what is that we're looking for?" asked Sebastian, changing the subject.

"Let me check the journal and find out," Dipper replied, as he opened it up to check the entry once more, hoping if it could offer some answer.

* * *

Miranda couldn't believe her luck, as she found herself unloading baking supplies, baking the pastries and handing out them on her own. It doesn't help that it was opening day, forcing her to pick up the pace than she normally would; she didn't even have a chance to take a break. Thankfully, though, her decision of baking early in the morning before opening hours and planning ahead of time did help her to some degree, giving Miranda some room to breath and a long needed break, as she stepped outside in the back for some rest.

'_Where the heck is Sebastian?'_ she thought to herself. '_When he gets back, I'm going to get some answer right out of him.'_

As she continued to wonder what became of her brother, she failed to notice two small figures hiding behind the dumpster, eyeing on the bakery shop with serious intent, waiting for the moment to strike. Unfortunately for Miranda and the rest of the bakery, that time was now.

* * *

**Well that's one way to get past the Oni; solving riddles that don't make any sense whatsoever! Heh, be glad that it wasn't the Sphinx that was on the bridge from the Percy Jackson series. That would have been a much different (and difficult) story. Anyway, things are getting interesting as the gang goes deeper into the forest while trouble is brewing elsewhere and Miranda will learn that sometimes you don't find trouble; trouble finds you. What will it be? Keep reading to find out in Chapter 3!**

**Anyway, with that in mind see you next time and please review! Ciao!**


	3. Episode 3: Tome Raiders

_Previously on Gravity Falls: The Zodiacs:_

_Miranda couldn't believe her luck, as she found herself unloading baking supplies, baking the pastries and handing out them on her own. It doesn't help that it was opening day, forcing her to pick up the pace than she normally would; she didn't even have a chance to take a break. Thankfully, though, her decision of baking early in the morning before opening hours and planning ahead of time did help her to some degree, giving Miranda some room to breath and a long needed break, as she stepped outside in the back for some rest._

_'Where the heck is Sebastian?' she thought to herself. 'When he gets back, I'm going to get some answer right out of him.'_

_As she continued to wonder what became of her brother, she failed to notice two small figures hiding behind the dumpster, eyeing on the bakery shop with serious intent, waiting for the moment to strike. Unfortunately for Miranda and the rest of the bakery, that time was now._

* * *

**The Zodiacs**

A Gravity Falls Story

By Allenfairytail

Season 1: Water War

Episode 3: Tomb Raiders

The gang took a moment to relax following their ordeal, while Dipper flipped through the pages on his journal, looking for more information on what was on this side of the bridge; just seconds ago, he and his friends had to overcome a riddle challenge from an Oni that had somehow made his way to Gravity Falls. But the riddles he offered, however, turned out to be quite ridiculous and didn't make any sense at all; adding insults to injury, they recently discovered that the water was quite shallow and that they could have crossed over at any time. As much as he wanted to dwell in the past, it was not the time for such thoughts, as Dipper focused on the current task to discover the newest mystery of Gravity Falls.

"So, what has our glorious leader found so far?" Sebastian asked with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Maybe if you could be quiet for a moment, I could tell you what I'm looking for," an irritated Dipper replied.

"Don't be such a downer, Dipper. He just asked, that's all," Mabel insisted, oblivious that her crush was being sarcastic.

"Say, what exactly are we looking for?" Wendy suddenly interjected, changing the subject on the spot.

"It's here somewhere on this journal," Dipper answered, still flipping through the number of pages for it.

"What makes you so sure it's in there?" Emily asked curiously.

"Whenever I need to find something important, I checked the journal to find out more," after what felt like a long time, Dipper seemed to found what he was looking for. "Aha! There it is: according to this journal, there is apparently a tomb somewhere around here and it contains a secret within it."

"What kind of secrets?" Mabel asked with intrigue, getting too close to her brother's personal space. "Is it a body of an alien? buried treasures? A lost film reel? Or how about-"

"Mabel, I need my personal space," Dipper demanded, cutting off Mabel, before she backed off a little, as he regained his composure. "And that's all what the journal said."

"I don't know about you, but I should get going," Sebastian suddenly spoke, as he started to make his way to the bridge. "I've been staying out here far too long, so the last thing I wanted to do is-AAH!"

Without warning, Sebastian had stepped into a hole that previously wasn't there before, falling down to who knows how deep it was. Shocked by this, Dipper, Mabel, Waddles, Wendy and Emily quickly came to the hole, peeking inside to see what became of him.

"Sebastian, are you alright down there?!" Dipper shouted down through the hole as loud as he could.

"Gee, what do you think?!" Sebastian retorted back. His answer was enough for Dipper and his friends to sigh with relief, thankful that their friend was alright. "I think I saw something down there."

"What is it?" Emily curiously asked her friend.

Sebastian didn't answered right away and inspected his surroundings much closer, trying to figure out where he is; from what he could tell, it looked like a cavern of some sorts, with rows of stalagmites and stalactites covering the area, barely allowing any lights at all. But when he turned to the other side, however, he saw something that left him speechless: in front of him was what looked like an ancient building of sorts that somehow transplanted itself from ancient Rome, even having the same characteristics from head to toe, from the pillars supporting the entrance to the marble design. Sebastian wanted to believe it was a figment of his imagination, but there was no doubt what he was staring at.

"What's with the silent treatment?" Mabel asked from above, worried of his sudden silence.

"...I think I might have found that tomb you guys were looking for," Sebastian finally replied.

* * *

"Come back here this instant!" a furious Miranda demanded, trying her best to catch up to two thieves as best as she could, despite their speed.

Just moments ago, Miranda had dropped her guard down, trying to catch a breather after she had to double her workload in order to make up for Sebastian's absence, when out of nowhere, she heard some commotions in the bakery shop, prompting her to get a glimpse of the hoodlums...as well as a few dozen pastries missing in the counter.

'_I can't believe I allowed this to happen!'_ she cursed herself. _'When I catch up to them, they'll wish they never robbed the bakery, especially on opening day!'_

Miranda continued to try and catch up to them, but the muscles in her legs were starting to feel numb, forcing her to stop in her tracks to catch her breath, all the while looking for the thieves themselves, having made a quick getaway in the process.

"Where did they go now?" she asked herself, looking in all directions for the thieves. She had to find them and give them a lesson they'll never forget.

Just then, she heard what sounded like a can clattering in a nearby alley and looked at the direction towards it. She was now certain that the thieves went into that direction; at least now she can catch up with them and punish them on the spot.

"You're not getting away that easily!" Miranda then took off, heading to the alleyway, becoming much determined than she ever was.

But as she entered into her destination, unbeknownst to Miranda, however, her would-be thieves popped up from a dumpster on the other side of the alleyway, observing their pursuer disappearing from the corner; they were a pair of twins, but one was a girl and the other was a boy. The former had long, platinum hair, with two strands of hair sticking out on each side, emerald green eyes and a dress that looked like it came from the Victorian-era; the latter had long, blonde hair worn over his left shoulder with a crimson ribbon, scarlet eyes and wore a bright orange shirt, khaki shorts and red sneakers.

"I can't believe it, Edgar…" the girl squealed with astonishment. "She actually fell for it."

"I can't believe we stole some pastries from the bakery, Alice," Edgar lamented, as he pulled out a backpack containing half of their stolen goods.

"You worried too much," Alice dismissed him. "Besides, we need to eat sooner or later. Otherwise, we'll be starving all night. Is that what you want?"

"No, but-" was all Edgar got out of his mouth, before his sister cut him off.

"Good. As long as you're following me, you'll do exactly as I say."

"Like the time when we took shelter underneath a bridge, only for us to be chased off by the police a few seconds later?" Edgar sarcastically asked.

"...Just shut up and help me find somewhere to stay so that we can eat tonight's meals," Alice simply replied, leading Edgar to another part of Gravity Falls.

* * *

Fortunately for Dipper, Wendy brought a rope with her in case of an emergency, securing it tightly around a nearby tree stump. Once she made sure it was good and tight, she lead her friends down into the deep cavern, eventually meeting up with Sebastian, who waited patiently for them to show up.

"Are you sure this rope is going to hold up?" Emily asked with concern.

"Don't worry, it's brand new," Wendy assured her. "Besides, there's no one else around here but us, so it'll still be here."

Emily simply sighed with relief, just happy to hear some good news for the day.

"So Dipper, anything you know about this tomb?" asked Sebastian.

"I'm going to check the journal to find out," Dipper simply replied, as he opened up his journal and began flipping through one page after another, before finding the answer in the next page. "The Underground Temple; there has been little information regarding this place. Judging from its appearance, it seemed to be of Greek origin, yet there were no evidence of Greeks ever setting foot in Gravity Falls. It was as if the temple had somehow transported from its original location through unknown means."

"Who or what would even transport a temple in Gravity Falls, let alone place it underground?" Sebastian was having a hard time believing such a claim.

"Ooh! Ooh! I think I know!" Mabel suddenly spoke up, waving her hand up in the air.

"What is it?" Sebastian asked.

Mabel opened her mouth, but couldn't find the answer to his question. She thought long and hard trying to find it, but let out a sigh and forced to admit her mistake.

"I forgot," she sheepishly answered, prompting Sebastian to face palmed in annoyance.

"That was a waste of time."

"We're going to waste more if we stand here doing nothing," Dipper spoke up. "Now come on guys, we need to go into the temple and see if we can uncover its mystery."

Everyone nodded their heads, agreeing with Dipper's plan, as they headed directly to the main entrance. Waddles also tried to follow them, before stopping in his tracks when Mabel appeared right in front of him.

"Sorry Waddles, but you have to stay and be on guard duty until we get back."

As if he had understood her commands, Waddles squealed in response and turned back to the entrance and "guarding" it, just as Mabel had wanted him to do, before she turned around to catch up with the gang.

* * *

Getting into the entrance was surprisingly easy, as all it tooked was a simple push to open up the doors, allowing them to enter the ancient temple without any problems. As expected, the inside of the temple was quite old and ancient, decorated in the standard Greek styles; aside from being covered in dust and cobwebs, the interior were left untouched; everything was frozen in time.

"Wow!" Dipper exclaimed, his voice echoing throughout the temple, speechless that he, his sister and his friends were going to enter a part of ancient history.

"That's an understatement right there," Sebastian remarked.

"It doesn't look as dangerous as the journal makes it out to be," Mabel commented, before shrugging. "Oh well, I guess you can't judge a book by its cover."

Without a care in the world, Mabel walked towards the hallway, skipping a few tiles in her joy, when…

"Mabel, STOP!" Dipper frantically shouted.

Fortunately for him, Mabel did just that, stopping just a few inches from the hallway, before she turned around and faced her brother.

"What's the big deal, Dipper? I'm just skipping on a few tiles, that's all."

"Where in an ancient temple, Mabel. One of those tiles could set off a trap," determined to prove his point, he turned to his friends with a serious look. "Does anyone here have a marble or something round?"

Wendy, Sebastian and Emily searched in their pockets, hoping to find what Dipper needed. Eventually, though, Emily was the first to talk, pulling out a small, round ball out of her jeans.

"Will this do?" she asked, showing the ball to Dipper.

"Close enough," he replied, as Emily gave him the small ball, before he threw it down the hallway, causing it to bounce on the floor, until it landed on a conspicuous shape; the moment it touched it, however, a series of darts flew out of nowhere, hitting only the pillars that were standing in its way.

"There, you see, Mabel?" asked Dipper, hoping she understood his point.

"That...was...cool!" she happily answered.

"That's it? You're not freaking out or anything?" Sebastian was astonished that Mabel would react in such a manner.

"Are you kidding? I enjoy avoiding death traps!" Mabel explained. "Now come on, let's see who can make it to the other side alive!"

"I don't think that's a good-" Dipper was unable to finish his sentence, as he saw Mabel hopping on one tile after another in the hallway, risking her own life in the process.

"Smooth move, Dipper," Sebastian mockingly spoke.

"Not a good time for that," Dipper retorted. "Let's just make sure that Mabel doesn't get herself hurt."

With that, he, Sebastian, Wendy and Emily head to the hallway, trying to catch up with Mabel, all the while avoiding one rows of darts after another.

* * *

One by one, the group barely managed to avoid getting stung by the darts, some out of sheer luck, as the continued to make it out of the hallway alive; after what seemed like forever, they finally made it into the next room, with almost everyone worn and tired out from avoiding death, though Mabel seemingly remained energetic from the ordeal.

"That was fun, wasn't it everyone?" she asked her friends, prompting an annoyed Sebastian to glare at her.

"Fun?! We almost got hit by poisonous darts and you're saying it was fun?!"

"Sebastian, that's enough. What matters is that we got here safe and sound," Emily interjected, hoping to prevent an argument from stirring up.

"She's right," Dipper agreed. "However, we should be careful what to do in the next room. Let's not touch anything that could trigger another trap."

"Where are we anyway?" Wendy asked, examining the room she and her friends are now in.

"I don't know, but I should check the journal out just in case," Dipper replied, as he pulled out it out, hoping to find some sort of clue regarding the Underground Temple.

But while everyone were being careful on what to do, Mabel noticed what looked like a lavish banquet table, with what looked like dozens of foods and drinks, taking every inch of the table. But what was even more strange were that compared to the room they were in, the foods and drinks looked fresh right of the oven.

'_Now who would leave them freshly cooked, only to leave them around like that?'_ Mabel thought, before her stomach growled. _'Oh well, all this thinking is making me hungry.'_

While Mabel made her towards the table, Dipper, meanwhile, began to read an excerpt about the Underground Tomb, mainly about the traps that he and his friends would have to face.

"There are at least three hidden traps within the Underground Temple. Out of all them, however, is one trap designed to tempt those makes it to the banquet hall. Be warned, as a single touch from the banquet table will cause the floor to collapse, taking those unfortunate enough with them."

Once he finished reading the excerpt, he, as well as Wendy, Emily and Sebastian, looked once more and sure enough, they were indeed in a banquet hall, just like the journal had mentioned. But it was then that a thought occurred to him.

'_If we're here, then that means...oh no.'_

Realizing the situation they were about to be thrust into, Dipper immediately head to the banquet table, quickly grabbing Mabel's arm, just as she was about to touch an apple from a fruit bowl.

"Mabel, wait!"

"I wasn't going to hog all of the foods. I was going to share them," a confused Mabel insisted, just as Wendy, Sebastian and Emily showed up.

"What Dipper meant to say is that the foods and drinks will trigger the trap. That's why he stopped you," Wendy explained.

"...Oh, that makes sense then," Mabel accepted, as Dipper let go of her arm.

"That was a close one," DIpper said with a smile, before he put his hand on the banquet table, apparently squashing something. Horrified, he looked down and saw that he had accidentally put his hand on a pie.

'_Crud!'_ Dipper thought, right before the entire room started to shake, forcing the entire group to run for their lives.

"You just have to put your hand on the table, did you?!" Sebastian scolded Dipper.

"It was an accident, I swear!" Dipper defended himself.

"Now's not the time for arguing," Emily reminded her friends. "Right now, we need to get out of here and fast!"

Both Dipper and Sebastian nodded their heads, as they, Mabel, Wendy and Emily continued to ran to the next room, while the floor underneath them started to gave way, increasing in speed with each seconds. After what felt like a very long time, the five barely managed to get to the next room just in time, closing the door behind them, just as the last few tiles disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

"That...was a...close one," Dipper stated, still breathing heavily from his ordeal.

"No kidding...sherlock," Sebastian remarked, also breathing heavily as well. "You almost...got us...killed...back there."

"But we survived, didn't we?" Mabel pointed out.

"Mable's right," Emily agreed. "We made it this far, so the only thing that we can do now is just move forward, find what's in here and get out."

"That might be a bit complicated," Wendy noted, having learn from experience.

"Let's worried about that later," Dipper suggested. "There should be one more trap to pass through before we can get whatever the tomb is holding."

Wendy, Mabel, Sebastian and Emily agreed to this and continued to follow Dipper's lead; eventually, all five ended up in a strange room, with holes sticking out in the ceiling and a pillar with strange symbols on them, with each panel that can be turned around.

"Well, this a weird one," Emily commented, before turning to Dipper. "So does that journal of yours have an explanation for this one room?"

"I think so," Dipper replied, noticing another excerpt for the Underground Temple. "For those who actually made it to the final room, they must solve a simple but complicated puzzle: 'There lies two satellites that hovers above us, one that lies in between and eight that are all aligned."

"What kind of puzzle is that?" asked a confused Sebastian.

Before Dipper could answer his question, the door behind them was replaced by a rising steel gate, sealing the five into the room. To make matters worse, the holes up the ceiling started to pump out out what appeared to be green gas, slowly filling up the entire room.

"We need to solve this fast or we're goners," a shocked Wendy informed Dipper.

Dipper nodded his head, before he and his friends went to the pillar, examining the symbols on the pillar, all frantically trying to figure out their meanings. Time, however, wasn't on their side and the green gas was beginning to fill up much faster than they thought.

"What do these symbols mean?!" Mabel shouted, before letting out a few coughs.

"I don't know, but we need to find out what they are before it's too late!" a panicked Dipper shouted, while coughing at the same time.

Dipper and his friends continued to take turns, attempt to figure out the meanings of the symbols on the pillar, before it was Emily's turn to try her luck, carefully examining them and doing her best to remain as calm as she could in such a dire situation; she was particularly puzzled by the circles, some in numbers and some that are cut in half. Then, the word satellite came to her and something it bothered her a bit...wait a minute, that's it! She couldn't believe she didn't put them together so soon.

"I think I know the solution!" Emily shouted, allowing her friends to step aside, as she began to swap each row on the pillar into it's exact position; once she was finished, she looked at the position she put them in: the top row had two circles, the middle row had half a circle and the bottom row had two vertical rows of four circles.

"Emily, how did you-" was all Wendy got out, before one door managed to unseal itself.

"I'll explain everything later. Right now, let's get out of here," Emily simply said, before leading her friends to safety to the next room, with the door sealing up behind them.

"I thought for sure we were goners back there," said Sebastian, wiping off some sweats from his forehead.

"Thank goodness we have Emily to bail us out from that jam," Mabel happily commented.

"That reminds me…" Wendy began, before turning to Emily. "How did you manage to solve that puzzle?"

"Now that Wendy mentions it, what you did back there was amazing!" Dipper praised her, causing Emily to rub her head sheepishly.

"When you mentioned satellites, I look at the symbols long enough and realized that they were suppose to represent the planets and stars in some way; the two circles suppose to represent the sun and the moon, the half circle is meant to represent the sunset and the two rows of four circles are suppose to represent the eight planets of the solar system. Hope this explains everything."

"Wow, I wish I had manage to figure that one out," Dipper muttered under his breath, before shaking his head. "Anyway, looks like we made it to the final room."

"Considering that it's old, gloomy and dusty, I say that's a no-brainer," Sebastian remarked, looking around at the ancient tomb they found themselves in. Dipper, though, choose to ignore Sebastian's remark, as he and his friends made their way to the enclosed tomb.

"What do you think is in it?" Mabel asked, curious by whatever is inside the tomb.

"Only one way to find out," Dipper responded, prompting him, Mabel, Wendy, Sebastian and Emily to put their hands on the lid, shoving it as hard as they could, a task that was easier said than done, due to the lid's heavy weight. But after some effort, the five succeeded in removing the lid, only to be greeted by a blast of dust into their faces, forcing them to recoil back from the coffin.

"Is everyone alright?" he asked his friends.

"Besides our faces being covered in dust, we're good," Mabel replied.

After wiping off the dusts off their faces, the five got closer to inspect the content within the tomb, but when they get closer, what they found was…

"A piece of paper?" Wendy asked incredulously.

"Are you telling me that we risked our lives for a piece of paper?!" Sebastian was more than upset, he was fuming that they risked their lives for seemingly nothing.

"I don't get it," Dipper was mystified. "I was so sure it was something astounding. Who would even leave a piece of paper in a tomb to begin with?"

"Guys, I don't to state the obvious, but there's something on it," Mabel informed the group, prompting them to inspect the paper much closer, before Dipper took it and looked at it himself.

"What's on them?" asked Wendy.

"It looks like...zodiac symbols," Dipper responded. "They looked quite old, judging from the writing. I guess the mystery deepens even more after all."

"Not to burst your bubble or anything, but how are we going to get out?" Sebastian reminded his friends. "We can't go back to the way we came from."

"You worried too much, Sebastian. I'm sure the answer will come right at us," Mabel insisted, putting her hand on a nearby wall.

What happened next suddenly stunned her, as well as her friends; by chance, Mabel had pressed on a hidden button, causing one of the walls to open up, revealing a pathway back to the cavern, as they saw Waddles from a distance, squealing in delight to see the group.

"Does that answer your question?" Dipper asked Sebastian, who was speechless by this unexpected action.

* * *

After the group made it out of the cavern and back to town, the five bid each other a farewell, before they departed back home, more so for Sebastian He had been away from work all day, especially when the bakery had just opened. He knew that his sisters will chew him out when he gets back, but for now, he just wants to head to the bakery before it started to get dark in Gravity Falls.

'_Alright Sebastian...'_ he thought to himself. _'I just need to come up with a good excuse for Miranda when I get back. If she asked, I'll just say-'_

His thoughts were interrupted, however, when he bumped into what felt like two figures, forcing them down on the pavement. Sebastian managed to get himself up and regain his composure, before he got a glimpse of two people: both appeared to be twins and of the same age but of different gender, carrying what looked like bags on their back.

"Are you two alright down-" before Sebastian could finished his sentence, one of the twins did something unexpected: somehow, she managed to draw a nearby puddle towards her and proceeded to use it at Sebastian, lashing him in retaliation.

"Watch we're your going, dweeb!" she rebuffed, only to see the shock look on Sebastian's face. "Ah crud."

"Alice, we need to go, now," Edgar pleaded with his twin sister, enough to get her attention, as the two went to the opposite direction and into the alleyway, disappearing into the night.

Sebastian, though, continued to stare at the direction that the twins had disappeared into, still speechless by what he just witnessed.

'_What was that just now? I thought only Emily and I could do something like that!'_

* * *

**Just as things are couldn't any weirder (or worse for that matter) Sebastian just bumped into two strangers it seemed one of them can wield hydrokinesis just like Sebastian can! What could this mean for the gang? Are these two teenagers somehow linked into all the mystery in Gravity Falls? Find out next time of Gravity Falls: The Zodiacs!**

**As always, make sure you review and leave a comment for possible ideas or pm me (I favor the latter though bear in mind) See you next time! Ciao!**


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